All Adam Frost could see was a baseball hit high and deep, hooking toward the foul pole. As he stood a few steps outside the batter’s box, he gave it a little body English and looked toward home plate umpire Reggie Jackson.
Jackson had left his spot behind the dish and moved into position down the third base line and when the ball cleared the foul pole, he made a quick, demonstrative signal: “Fair ball!” Jackson yelled and pointed toward the infield side of the foul line. He immediately added the sign for a home run.
For the second time this season – this time with the bases loaded – Adam Frost, the team’s remarkable rookie shortstop, had delivered a game-winning home run. With a dramatic grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, Frost led the Goldeyes to a 6-2 win over the visiting Schaumburg Flyers 6-2 and sent 6,479 of the faithful home happy.
“Right off the bat, I knew I’d hit it well and it was really fair,” Frost told Shaw TV. “But it was hooking and hooking and I didn’t know if I’d hit it high enough to get it over the foul pole. When the umpire signaled a fair ball, I just started my trot around the bases.”
Frost, who had entered the game as a pinch runner for Josh Asanovich in the eighth inning, came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth in the midst of a nail-biting 2-2 tie. The bases were loaded, two were out and the 22-year-old infielder, who was supposed to be getting a well-deserved night off, was suddenly thrust into what would become the most exciting – and controversial – moment in a terrific ball game.
With Dee Brown on third, Dustin Richardson on second and Cory Patton on first, Frost came to the plate for the first time in the contest and admitted he was just sitting on a fastball.
“He (relief pitcher Tom Lyons) got behind 2-0 and I knew he’d come in with something over the plate,” Frost said. “He threw me a fastball to make the count 2-1 and I decided to just look for another fastball that I could drive. He threw a fastball on the inside half of the plate and I was able to get my hands in and around on it. It’s something Tom (hitting coach Vaeth) and I had been working on in the cage, trying to get my hands through quicker on the inside pitch. Anyway, I figured I would get a fastball, and if it was anywhere near my belt, I was going to turn on it.”
The Frost home run gave the Goldeyes their fourth consecutive victory and, with Gary beating Fargo 4-2, it left the 54-39 Fish in second place, a game behind first-place Gary and a-game-and-a-half ahead of third-place Fargo.
It also caused Flyers manager Mike Busch to come storming out of the dugout to vehemently argue Jackson’s “fair-ball” call. Busch was not only convinced it was foul but also angered by the fact a Schaumburg loss meant the end of his team’s playoff hopes.
Fortunately, third-base umpire Harry Fredenburgh got between Busch and Jackson and Jackson was able to leave the field without incident. After the game, Jackson was escorted to his car by Canwest Park security.
Frost’s home run also put an exclamation point on a great start by Goldeyes right-hander Bear Bay. Although Bay got a no-decision for his effort, he did pitch seven strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits. The game was tied going into the ninth, thanks to a two-run sixth-inning home run by Goldeyes third baseman Vince Harrison.
Game 2 of this four-game series will be played Saturday night at 6:00 at Canwest Park. A pair of left-handers, Alain Quijano for Schaumburg and Bill Pulsipher for Winnipeg, will take the mound.
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